‘What am I looking forward to today?’

I have always had a consistent morning routine from waking up without checking my phone to chugging some water, doing cardio or go straight into a nutrient dense meal after cracking open my journal to set positive intentions for the day and reconnect to myself.

One thing I have noticed making a huge difference for myself lately is asking myself ‘What am I looking forward to today?’. This has empowered me to be more productive, remember to really do things that make me feel alive, and always tune into my big picture vision and mission to make sure the things I am looking forward to are aligned to them!

But, the best way to start the morning, if this doesn’t feel exactly right for you, is by asking yourself what you need to feel your best, perform at your best, and be the best you can be for yourself and others! For a more full on daily ritual you can read my blog

Journal every morning

Adding journaling to my morning routine changed my life. My day job is fast paced and stressful, so this ritual prepares me for a productive – but not frantic, day.

This time is a gift to myself and ensures I start the day with a calm energy and avoid burnout – an important distinction given my perfectionist tendencies.

The daily habit of writing my thoughts, goals and positive affirmations on paper has had a significant impact on my self-esteem. As a person who battles anxiety and depression, journaling has helped me see a better version of myself, one who can more confidently articulate what she needs.

How you can journal too:

When you write in your journal, you set intentions for the day. You put yourself in a good mood by tapping into a higher frequency and “set the tone”.

It’s kind of like the “birthday phenomenon” (that I made up). Ever notice how you usually have a really good day on your birthday? There’s nothing different about that day! You just woke up and because it’s your birthday you decided it was special… and so it was.

Journaling when you wake up allows you to tap into that energy and decide that today is special too.

It has helped me (and can help you too!) to:

Be more productive

Improve my mood

Combat procrastination

Move past difficulties – they’ll simmer at the top of your mind and naturally come up when you write

Be more creative

Put things in perspective and be kinder to myself

I’ve experienced firsthand how journaling is a game changer to access high energy, optimism and perform at you best. That’s why I’m passionate about teaching other women how they can use it too.

Give it a try!

Whitney Quayle inspires women to be themselves and break free from “The Should Prison”.

Drink A Glass of Water

I naturally wake up at around 4.30am. I drink a full glass of water that I leave the night before by my bedside table. I make sure my phone is on airplane mode so as not to receive any notifications and begin my day with meditating. I pick my favourite 457 Hertz meditation sounds and other Singing Bowls sounds to play in the background. These sounds help me meditate easier and feel more at ease. I escape to another dimension for 15-20 minutes. I then make a list of what I’m grateful for. Things such as my warm bad, my home, my team, and family.

After this, I visualise my day ahead. I check my calendar for my daily schedule and then start to visualise every single detail of the day ahead. For example, If I have a meeting I visualise my journey to the meeting, arriving at the meeting, people present, how it will play out, my overall feelings about the experience ahead and visualise achieving a positive outcome. This exercise helps me feel calm and optimistic. This usually takes around 20 minutes.

Then I jump out of bed, make myself a celery juice and start my day by putting on some music, jumping in the shower and then taking my phone off airplane mode to start checking my emails. Then I reward myself with a beautiful big cup of fresh coffee.

Fabiola Gomez gives Australian women and men seamless and convenient premium mobile salon-style services for the first time via the unique LUXit mobile application.

Take Time to Master your Morning

When it comes to the morning routine I’ve spent a couple of months to master my own perfect routine. What has turned out to be the most effective set of actions is; Wake up early (4:50 am), drink a glass of water (wakes you up), make your bed, prepare and eat the breakfast, “morning bathroom fun”, get dressed, read a book for 30 minutes and finally go to the gym.

With this set of activities, I’m able to get done two important things right away – gym and reading – and I’m able to quickly wake myself up as each activity sort of pushes me to the next one.

For anyone who hasn’t started with morning routines, I highly recommend doing it. You’ll get so much more productive and you just won’t have to spend time wondering what to do next.

Prioritize My Day

I’ve got 2 rituals that help me kick off the day’s creativity/ productivity!

As soon as I wake up, I start the coffee maker then I roll out my yoga mat and do 30 pushups, 100 sit-ups and 3 rounds of one minute planks followed by a quick stretch. It takes less than 20 minutes and not only does it get my heart pumping and immediately wake me up, it gives me a calm start to the day!

Then…. when I get into the office, I Organize My Workspace. Having a clean workspace helps me focus and feel structured. After I organize everything, I settle in with a cup of coffee and try to relax for 15 minutes before diving into the grind. Then, I prioritize my day’s to-do list and map out the rest of my day!

It Starts With A Suggestion

My morning routine has changed drastically, it used to just be get up and get outside but I found that I needed a little more.

My morning routine now consists of getting hydrated straight away by drinking water, I’ll also use the Happy Not Perfect app and do a morning mindset routine to get me started, then it’s onto moving in some way either through a workout or walking my kids to school and then finally something to eat. By 9:30am I’m ready for the day.

I’ve changed it by using apps that help to keep me on track and also prompt me, also I find the apps are great with making suggestions VS having to figure it all out on my own.

Jane Baker is a successful business owner and coach, she specialises in helping online service based business owners and coaches sell high end offerings and position themselves as the go to in their industries.

A successful morning routine begins the night before

To me. a successful morning routine begins the night before. A good night sleep and ending the night thinking positive thoughts about what to look forward to the next day, sets your morning up right. Get up when you wake up, don’t hit the snooze button. Start the day with something for you- quiet time with a cup of coffee, a workout, a conversation with your partner, etc before you tackle your agenda. After that, take care of the one thing that is weighing most heavily on your mind for the day, and knock that off your list. Your mind will be clear to address other issues.

Jill Liberman is a motivational speaker, published author and founder of Choose Happy.

Start every day in a magnificent way

I have changed my morning routine for better performance because I used to stay up late at night. Now I prioritise my morning routine so that I can start every day in a magnificent way. My morning routine:

3am: wake up (I go to bed at 7pm) & enjoy a facial mask;

3:30am: dance to the music;

4am: read a chapter of a good book.

4:30am: breakfast;

5am: work (the most important task).

Jade Seashell is an Australian author and columnist for the world’s leading dating websites. When she is not writing, she is developing content marketing strategies for her corporate clients and seduction strategies for her private clients.

“What do I need most right now?”

I think that morning routines have become a sort of trend at the minute and because of that they’re losing some of their power.

I don’t have a set morning routine. Instead, I ask myself one question to start my day: “What do I need most right now?”

I think that a morning routine should be fluid and flexible.

We don’t wake up with the same energy levels or mood every day and I think it’s vital that we meet ourselves wherever we are in that moment. So by asking this question and listening honestly to the response it allows me to tune in and connect more deeply with myself and give myself what I really need which changes morning to morning.

Some days it might be yoga or using my oracle cards, other days I know I need hot water with lemon or a green smoothie as opposed to a coffee, most days for me it’s meditation. I think that a morning routine should con sist only of this one simple question that allows us to tap into our intuition and give ourselves what we really need without any rigidity or a ‘you have to do this!’ attitude.

In order to make this successful I think it’s necessary to have a ‘tool kit’ of sorts with activities that you find personally nourishing that you can pull from each morning!

It’s a powerful skill to recognize and appreciate

Personally this is something I have implemented daily, over the past 6 months and is more of an emotional wellbeing task that sets me up for a positive and productive day. It is a powerful tool for manifestation and can transform your mindset instantly. I set aside 10 minutes every morning, whilst sipping on my first coffee of the day… to dig deep, reflect and write in my ‘journal’ (this could be my laptop, a scrap piece of paper or diary). I list a minimum of 5 things that I am grateful for at that moment. Some days it may be as simple as I am grateful for my health or I am grateful for my friends and family and on other days it may be a list aligned more with my relationship or job. Whatever it may be it has an instant up-lifting and positive emotional effect.

It’s a powerful skill to recognize and appreciate what is already present in your life and has assisted me with any negative self-talk, reaching my career goals and constantly acts as a gentle reminder of how far I have come and how good life is! It is a practice of awareness that has influenced my performance, productivity, mindset and attitude daily in all aspects of my life – work, relationships and health.

Alex Joy is a holistic nutritionist, health + wellness advocate and stress management consultant based out of Sydney, Australia. Alex Joy helps stressed and busy professionals swap stress for calm, mental fog for clarity and turn procrastination into productivity through the power of holistic nutrition.

Conclusion

However you start your day reflects how you will spend it. So build your day on a solid foundation.

If you are struggling to start your morning routine, use some of the tips above, or just start with a consciously consumed glass of water.

Share your morning routine in the comments below. We will continually update this post with the best techniques.